3 Subtle Signs You’ve Done Well In Life, Even If Your Life Looks Pretty Ordinary
RDNE | Pexels Have you ever noticed how we're constantly being bombarded with highlight reels of other people's achievements? The promotions, the picture-perfect vacations, the big life milestones that scream "success" from every corner of social media. It's easy to look at your own life and think it doesn't quite measure up, right?
If you're questioning whether you're on the right track, there are some subtle signs worth paying attention to. Although you might not see them as huge Insta-worthy moments, they're the subtle signs that you've built something solid for yourself, even if you think your life looks pretty ordinary from the outside.
Here are 3 subtle signs you’ve done well in life, even if your life looks pretty ordinary:
1. You have realistic goals
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Identifying your goal needs to come first. Think about what it is you want to accomplish. You may have a lengthy list. There may be some things on your list that you can tackle and accomplish today or this week. There may be other goals that require more time, planning, and effort to accomplish. Decide where to focus your energy.
Psychologists Edwin Locke and Gary Latham found that people who set specific, difficult goals consistently performed better than those who set vague goals or were just told to "do their best." The clearer and more concrete you make your goal, the better your brain can actually work toward achieving it.
2. You have a commitment to those goals
Set yourself up for success by doing a brain dump and writing down every little goal that you want to accomplish. Take this master list and separate it into things that are simple to do and more lofty goals that will take more planning.
Research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that goal commitment was critical for actually achieving what you set out to do. While simply thinking about goals keeps them abstract and easy to forget, the act of formalizing them creates commitment that translates into doability.
3. You know what you need to do achieve those goals
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Now take the lofty goals and decide which one you want to spend your time concentrating on. I like to refer to two systems that help me focus on my goals. You may have heard of them. One is the "SMART" acronym. This acronym asks that you look at your goals and make them "Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound."
This makes total sense to me, and I’m hoping it does for you, also. The more specific a goal, the easier it is to work toward. If a goal is measurable, you will know when you have accomplished it. When a goal is attainable, you know it is within reach. You're setting yourself up for success by working toward an attainable goal.
Relevant goals make sense in your life right now. By assigning a time frame to the goal, you're creating a work schedule for yourself. The second system I like to use for reference is from David Allen called "Getting Things Done." He has five basic steps in his system. They're similar to the ones outlined above.
The fact of the matter is that we all, every one of us, accomplish things each day. If you're breathing, you're doing something. Ask yourself if you're going through the motions and doing things because they need to be done, or if something is lurking in the back of your mind that you want to accomplish.
Do you have an idea? Is there a project you’d like to tackle but don’t know where to begin? Do you have a vision in your mind’s eye of how you want your home to look or to function? Is it time to remove the clutter from your home? Begin by writing it down.
Diane N. Quintana is a Certified Professional Organizer®, Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization®, Master Trainer, and owner of DNQ Solutions, LLC, based in Atlanta, Georgia.
